The Steelers Will Shred the Jacksonville Jaguars Defense

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in for a tough game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The Jags are the worst defense in the league in both points and yards allowed. The Steelers boast the fourteenth best scoring offense and fifth best in yardage. After letting Philip Rivers and company look like a team made up of MVPs on offense, the Steelers are poised to shred the Jaguars’ defense even more.

Can the Jacksonville Jaguars stop the bleeding?

It’s doubtful at this point.

The Jaguars have a quality pass rush but it has been unable to influence the passing game much or the running game either. Dead last in passing yards and 25th in stopping the run, the Jaguars need solutions. Unfortunately all they are getting are more questions.

Can Josh Evans play better than recently cut safety Winston Guy?

Can Demetrius McCray adequately fill in for an injured Dwayne Gratz at cornerback? What if he outplays him?

Can any of the linebackers cover?

These are just a sample of a number of things on everyone’s mind as the Steelers come to town. We’ll find out that the answer for most of them is no. Though maybe McCray can outplay Gratz and shift things up even more in an overmatched secondary.

The Steelers have a superb receiver and quarterback combination in Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger. They could easily light it up against the Jaguars, especially if Evans allows the type of over the top plays that Guy was cut over. Markus Wheaton also present problems (though he is questionable for the game against the Jaguars). Those receivers could have a field day against a secondary that is struggling to stay with their assignments and too often let them break open for a big gain or touchdown.

Heath Miller has quietly played very well this season. He’s second on the Steelers with 21 receptions and will be able to dominate in the middle of the field where the Jaguars are arguably weakest (which could be all over). Miller is a top flight tight end that is often overlooked. The Jaguars cannot undervalue him or he will make the defense pay.

The Steelers simply have too many options for a weak defense to cover. There is a spot to exploit the Jaguars at almost every position. This will not be an easy victory for the Jaguars in large part because the Steelers are likely to shred the defense.

Don’t look for too much hope out of a defense that has yet to play up to its potential. It took half a season for the defense to come together last year, it’s looking like we’re in for a similarly long wait again this year.